The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthuriumxc3x97hybrid, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program, and was obtained from a cross made during such a program in Florida, in March of 1993. The female or seed parent was the patented cultivar Anthurium andraeanum xe2x80x98Pink Aristocratxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,441). The male or pollen parent was an unnamed proprietary Anthuriumxc3x97hybrid seedling identified by number code xe2x80x98No. 167xe2x80x99, maintained by the inventor, and used only for breeding purposes.
xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 was discovered and selected as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross by the inventor, Ann E. Lamb, in November 1995 in a controlled environment in Florida.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar performed by the inventor by division done in Apopka, Fla., and tissue culture done in Sebring, Fla., was used to increase the number of plants for evaluation and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction and reproduces true to type.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 which in combination distinguish this Anthurium as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Plants produce many small, purple, cordate spathes each with a dark-purple spadix;
2. Spathes are held high above the foliage in the center of the plant;
3. Plants bloom abundantly, often having five or more inflorescences open at one time;
4. Foliage is medium-green and moderately glossy;
5. Plants have many basal branches; and
6. Plants are short in stature and are best suited for production in 15-cm pots.
xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and daylength, without any change in genotype.
In comparison to the female parent plant, xe2x80x98Pink Aristocratxe2x80x99, the spathes of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are smaller, more numerous and purple in color. xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 is shorter and more highly branched than xe2x80x98Pink Aristocratxe2x80x99. The leaves ofxe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are smaller and more numerous than those of xe2x80x98Pink Aristocratxe2x80x99. In addition, xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 is more tolerant of adverse growing conditions than is xe2x80x98Pink Aristocratxe2x80x99.
In comparison to the male parent plant, xe2x80x98No. 167xe2x80x99, the spathes of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are more numerous, purple in color, and held upright above the foliage on tall, straight peduncles. The spathes of xe2x80x98No. 167xe2x80x99 are pink to pale lavender in color, and are carried among or just above the foliage, on curved, flexible peduncles. The leaves of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are smaller, more numerous, and not as shiny as those of xe2x80x98No. 167xe2x80x99. xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 grows considerably faster than xe2x80x98No. 167xe2x80x99.
Of the commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the most similar in comparison to xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 is the cultivar Anthuriumxc3x97hybrid xe2x80x98Lavender Aristocratxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,449). In comparison to xe2x80x98Lavender Aristocratxe2x80x99, the spathes of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are smaller and are more numerous. Plants of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are shorter and produce more basal branches than plants xe2x80x98Lavender Aristocratxe2x80x99. The leaves of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are smaller and more numerous than those of xe2x80x98Lavender Aristocratxe2x80x99. Plants of xe2x80x98Purple Plumxe2x80x99 are more tolerant of adverse growing conditions than plants of xe2x80x98Lavender Aristocratxe2x80x99.